Where can I buy men's pants that are not stretch in Toronto?
September 20, 2019 1:58 PM   Subscribe

Alternatively, what Canadian online shopping websites allow you to filter by material?

I need slacks khakis etc. that can can pass as business casual or smart casual and are made from natural fibres only (ie cotton, wool, linen. No synthetic materials at all)

Price range is up to $100. Size is 38x32. Use case is restaurant inspections with a business dress code, so I need durability and washability.

So far I've tried all the places I used to be able to find this with no luck. Uniqlo does have this but not in the style/size I need. I have visited every major mall retailer and department store with no luck.
posted by mikek to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)
 
Mark's Work Wearhouse has some pants that are definitely 100% cotton that might or might not pass muster business-wise, but they've been moving towards a lot of stretchy/flexible synthetic blends in their inventory overall.

The other option if you haven't exhausted it is a rack safari at a few Winner's locations. Owing to the highly variable nature of their inventory they sometimes work out for specific needs, but can also be extremely hit-and-miss.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:26 PM on September 20, 2019 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Have you tried The Bay? They have a really good shipping and return policy.

I think there's around five pages of Chinos, but you can skip looking at anything that says stretch or cotton blend.(Speaking of cotton blend, is a tiny bit --like two or three per cent of elastane out entirely? If not, try the Dockers Heritage brand or regular Dockers or Ralph Lauren/Chaps.

I'm a bit busy now, so I can't go through all the results, but here is a place to start:
posted by sardonyx at 2:48 PM on September 20, 2019


...try the Dockers Heritage brand or regular Dockers or Ralph Lauren/Chaps.

I recently had to shop for office-appropriate pants and found that all the Dockers in the stores here were stretch. Not a single pair of all-cotton Dockers could be had. Chinos, khakis, etc. All stretch. I sympathize with mikek. This stretch everything is like a plague.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:51 PM on September 20, 2019


Response by poster: Yeah even 2% elastene doesn't work for me - they changed my go-to Black&Brown pants to this recently and they are so bad now! There's a bunch of issues, but it boils down to fit, durability, and professional appearance. That said I do appreciate the link to the specific line of pants - they stopped carrying the 100% cotton ones in store and the website doesn't let me filter by fabric anymore so I'm going to order 5 or 10 right away, thanks!

Ralph Lauren used to be a reliable choice but no more, same thing with Winner's, Mark's is actually good for shirts and jeans but not for pants any more. I spent the last few weekends going through each of the usual suspects and looking at every single pair of pants one by one. Same with other former holdout brands like The Gap, Joe Fresh, Hilfiger, etc. Levi's still has denim jeans but everything office appropriate is stretch.

If anyone else knows of a link to a specific pair of pants please do drop it in the thread!

In case others are having this problem Haggar's Work to Weekend line is also 100% cotton and carried in store at The Bay, though only available in navy, olive, and khaki.
posted by mikek at 6:00 PM on September 20, 2019


If you're going to be a regular online Bay shopper, it makes sense to get a Bay card (if you don't already have one). I think the Bay says shipping is free over $99 but what they don't say is the limit is a lot lower if you put in on their card. (I think it's $50 but don't quote me). All I know is that I've never paid for shipping on anything I've ordered from the website. (Mind you, I also tend to use the 1-800 number, so maybe that makes a difference with customer service reps being willing to waive the shipping charges).

Also, returns can be taken back to the store and refunded immediately, if that's easier for you than dealing with return shipping.

Additionally, I sympathize with the search for non-stretch clothing. I hate the stretchy stuff, and it seems that's all that's available right now. Men's clothing used to be easier to find in all natural fabrics, but it is quickly going the way of women's wear where everything stretches.
posted by sardonyx at 9:29 PM on September 20, 2019


Best answer: Eddie Bauer has some 100 % cotton pants.
They also have wool but they're pricy.

They have a couple of stores in Toronto and their stuff goes on sale on a regular basis
posted by yyz at 1:21 PM on September 21, 2019


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